Preparation Timeline
Feb. 9th, 2011 08:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fanofstuff666For those of you planning to travel but don't quite know what to do, I'm posting a rough outline of what basic preparations need to be taken, and when. This is a very loose schedule, and depending on you and your resources you may want to do these at different times.
Also in this outline are other events that have affected timing for preparation.
Departure Date: March 16
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Six Months to Departure: As I have two passports and dual citizenship, I renew my passports one at a time. Six months before I leave, I renew the one that has already expired, taking the time to research everything I need before heading to the embassy. The price quoted on the website is completely wrong, and I end up having to go to the bank to withdraw the extra cash. I make a note to myself to overprepare the next time. I also attempt to find a temporary job in order to make extra money. Given the economy and low hiring rates, I do not find one. Fortunately, I end up having enough money to go to Israel anyway.
Five Months to Departure: I start preliminary research on the area I'm going to and brushing up on Israeli history in general. I am still looking for work and find out about a volunteer job at a nearby clinic that is associated with both experience and certification as a pharmacy tech, so I sign up.
Four Months to Departure: Early in the month I receive my first renewed passport. I make plans to renew the second one, but don't go yet. U.S. passports tend to come back within a couple of weeks when renewed at home. I sign up for the ulpan I plan on attending and pay the fees. This is also my last month of college classes until I get my associate's degree, so I end up spending a good chunk of time focusing on schoolwork and graduation issues. In addition, I begin working at the clinic as a volunteer in the hopes of doing the coursework required within two months instead of the usual three or four--it is a student-driven course online with flexible timing. I research plane tickets, but don't buy any, as the tickets will be relatively cheap for some time yet and flex time is needed, just in case.
Three Months to Departure: I renew my second passport and start talking to the university I will be attending once I arrive home. Unfortunately, registration will not open until I am overseas, and all transfer information and registration will have to be handled while I am in Israel. The ulpan I was initially going to attend (Mishmar HaEmek) is canceled, leaving me with Sde Eliyahu, which begins later in the month. Fortunately, it is still within my six-month window, although it leaves me with no time to prepare for university. I will need to pack everything the week before I leave the country so I won't have to pack exhausted from a twenty-hour flight. Also fortunately, I didn't buy airplane tickets yet. In addition to my current reading list on Israeli history, The Source (a very, very good book to read if you haven't already), and various travel guides, I crack open a children's Hebrew alphabet book (with pictures and an English translation of the full words) and a Hebrew-to-English dictionary and start practicing the alphabet. I'm not as studious as I should be where this is concerned, but at least I will have something to refresh from when I begin classes at Sde Eliyahu. It worked with the Greek alphabet, it worked with Cyrillic (working from the Greek), and now I'm working with the Hebrew alphabet backwards from the Greek. Fortunately, both my parents--especially my mother--know at least a little Hebrew, and my mother knows how I learn.
Two Months to Departure: I begin talking to the ulpan director and my parents' friends in Israel. They will be my emergency contacts. Plane tickets are researched and found at a good price (try Expedia.com and the airlines' personal sites--compare and contrast!), and I buy a round-trip ticket(since any other cancellations are now unlikely). I begin researching visas.
One Month to Departure: My acceptance letters arrive from the ulpan. I gather everything and make a list of questions before calling the nearest consulate. I fail to reach a living person, but the recorded menus manage to answer my questions without me having to ask anyone; at least enough that I know what minimum fee to bring. I leave a message, just in case. Two days later, I head to the consulate with everything I need (and extra cash just in case; I learned from my last mistake). As it turns out, being registered in the kibbutz program associated with Masa (if you're not reading this from the Masa link, it's here) negates the need for fees (unless you want it mailed to your house) and a financial statement; the program provides both of those.
On a random note, the level of security at the embassy is shocking to me. It shouldn't be, but it is. I don't blame them for confiscating my (tiny) pocketknife, but adding in the 6-inch-thick bulletproof glass in the consulate and the temporary confiscation of my calculator...that more than anything heightened my sense of danger around the place. The German consulate was much less paranoid. But it did bring home the fact that there is a very real hatred for Israel. Fortunately, it's relatively quiet at the moment, so I still feel safe about going.
Now we enter the realm of what I need to be doing in the next five weeks...
Four Weeks to Departure: Contact the ulpan and find out about how money will be handled outside the kibbutz. Since access to certain (American, in my case) banks is unlikely, how should that be handled? Start a dialogue with the people in charge, get to know them. For some of you they will be the only people you know in a foreign country, so make sure they know you.
Three Weeks to Departure: Make a list of things you have and things you need for the trip and double-check both lists (the program will send you a list, but only you know what you personally will need; they provide only a general list of supplies and can't cover every individual's needs). Anything that needs to be ordered online must be ordered by the beginning of the week, otherwise you won't receive it in time or get it too late to make sure it works. Any other shopping should be done by the end of the week.
Two Weeks to Departure: Budget check, triple- and quadruple-check the list of things needed. I'll probably start packing away the non-essentials in my room by this point, as my room's fairly messy.
One Week to Departure: Keep checking that you have everything on your list. If you don't, get it. If it can't fit into a suitcase and a knapsack, you need to narrow down your list of essentials. Some things you can buy while you're in Israel; make sure you know what. Pack, unpack, repack until you know for sure everything's good. Make sure you know the drill for airports when you depart, switch planes, and arrive, and what is and isn't allowed in baggage and carry-ons. Make sure you have a ride from the airport to the ulpan. If you can, arrive a couple days early to orient yourself. Be sure you know at least a little of what to expect (hence the research and contacting the ulpan directors earlier).
The Day Before Departure: Make sure everything is packed and where you can find it. Get a good night's sleep.
Zero Hour: Again, make sure you have everything you need before you leave for the airport. This includes IDs, visas, passports, and luggage, as well as money. Keep emergency cash somewhere safe on your person, just in case. Say your farewells, if any, and set off on your great adventure!
Tip: When you get plane tickets for flights that involve switching planes, make sure you have at least a two-hour layover. Any less and you could lose your bags and/or get lost if you also need to change terminals. You'll also need the break. Take advantage of it.
If there are any questions about preparations, I will try to answer them as best as I can. I have done most of these preparations on my own, and have become seasoned at preparing, and I have been traveling overseas for many years.
Any further questions I have posted in the entry itself will have the answers posted in later entries once I find out more.
Also, if anyone wants me to post a quick learning guide to the Hebrew alphabet, please ask. I have enabled non-members to comment on my journals (I think), so you don't have to sign up just to ask. I think it may be extremely helpful to some, and my mother has some hints on pronunciation that can help as well.
Coming Up
-list of things needed, both basic and 'advanced'
-answers to questions from readers and from my own preparations that have not yet been answered
-Hebrew alphabet guide (?)
-reading list
-brief 'tour' of Israel as a whole, including a history lesson
One last thing, and I promise I'll end this too-long-to-be-a-proper-blog entry: If you find yourself unhappy or uncomfortable, but not in any physical danger (if you just dislike the whole thing), remind yourself that it's only five months. And it's an adventure. Treat it like one! :)
Also in this outline are other events that have affected timing for preparation.
Departure Date: March 16
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
Six Months to Departure: As I have two passports and dual citizenship, I renew my passports one at a time. Six months before I leave, I renew the one that has already expired, taking the time to research everything I need before heading to the embassy. The price quoted on the website is completely wrong, and I end up having to go to the bank to withdraw the extra cash. I make a note to myself to overprepare the next time. I also attempt to find a temporary job in order to make extra money. Given the economy and low hiring rates, I do not find one. Fortunately, I end up having enough money to go to Israel anyway.
Five Months to Departure: I start preliminary research on the area I'm going to and brushing up on Israeli history in general. I am still looking for work and find out about a volunteer job at a nearby clinic that is associated with both experience and certification as a pharmacy tech, so I sign up.
Four Months to Departure: Early in the month I receive my first renewed passport. I make plans to renew the second one, but don't go yet. U.S. passports tend to come back within a couple of weeks when renewed at home. I sign up for the ulpan I plan on attending and pay the fees. This is also my last month of college classes until I get my associate's degree, so I end up spending a good chunk of time focusing on schoolwork and graduation issues. In addition, I begin working at the clinic as a volunteer in the hopes of doing the coursework required within two months instead of the usual three or four--it is a student-driven course online with flexible timing. I research plane tickets, but don't buy any, as the tickets will be relatively cheap for some time yet and flex time is needed, just in case.
Three Months to Departure: I renew my second passport and start talking to the university I will be attending once I arrive home. Unfortunately, registration will not open until I am overseas, and all transfer information and registration will have to be handled while I am in Israel. The ulpan I was initially going to attend (Mishmar HaEmek) is canceled, leaving me with Sde Eliyahu, which begins later in the month. Fortunately, it is still within my six-month window, although it leaves me with no time to prepare for university. I will need to pack everything the week before I leave the country so I won't have to pack exhausted from a twenty-hour flight. Also fortunately, I didn't buy airplane tickets yet. In addition to my current reading list on Israeli history, The Source (a very, very good book to read if you haven't already), and various travel guides, I crack open a children's Hebrew alphabet book (with pictures and an English translation of the full words) and a Hebrew-to-English dictionary and start practicing the alphabet. I'm not as studious as I should be where this is concerned, but at least I will have something to refresh from when I begin classes at Sde Eliyahu. It worked with the Greek alphabet, it worked with Cyrillic (working from the Greek), and now I'm working with the Hebrew alphabet backwards from the Greek. Fortunately, both my parents--especially my mother--know at least a little Hebrew, and my mother knows how I learn.
Two Months to Departure: I begin talking to the ulpan director and my parents' friends in Israel. They will be my emergency contacts. Plane tickets are researched and found at a good price (try Expedia.com and the airlines' personal sites--compare and contrast!), and I buy a round-trip ticket(since any other cancellations are now unlikely). I begin researching visas.
One Month to Departure: My acceptance letters arrive from the ulpan. I gather everything and make a list of questions before calling the nearest consulate. I fail to reach a living person, but the recorded menus manage to answer my questions without me having to ask anyone; at least enough that I know what minimum fee to bring. I leave a message, just in case. Two days later, I head to the consulate with everything I need (and extra cash just in case; I learned from my last mistake). As it turns out, being registered in the kibbutz program associated with Masa (if you're not reading this from the Masa link, it's here) negates the need for fees (unless you want it mailed to your house) and a financial statement; the program provides both of those.
On a random note, the level of security at the embassy is shocking to me. It shouldn't be, but it is. I don't blame them for confiscating my (tiny) pocketknife, but adding in the 6-inch-thick bulletproof glass in the consulate and the temporary confiscation of my calculator...that more than anything heightened my sense of danger around the place. The German consulate was much less paranoid. But it did bring home the fact that there is a very real hatred for Israel. Fortunately, it's relatively quiet at the moment, so I still feel safe about going.
Now we enter the realm of what I need to be doing in the next five weeks...
Four Weeks to Departure: Contact the ulpan and find out about how money will be handled outside the kibbutz. Since access to certain (American, in my case) banks is unlikely, how should that be handled? Start a dialogue with the people in charge, get to know them. For some of you they will be the only people you know in a foreign country, so make sure they know you.
Three Weeks to Departure: Make a list of things you have and things you need for the trip and double-check both lists (the program will send you a list, but only you know what you personally will need; they provide only a general list of supplies and can't cover every individual's needs). Anything that needs to be ordered online must be ordered by the beginning of the week, otherwise you won't receive it in time or get it too late to make sure it works. Any other shopping should be done by the end of the week.
Two Weeks to Departure: Budget check, triple- and quadruple-check the list of things needed. I'll probably start packing away the non-essentials in my room by this point, as my room's fairly messy.
One Week to Departure: Keep checking that you have everything on your list. If you don't, get it. If it can't fit into a suitcase and a knapsack, you need to narrow down your list of essentials. Some things you can buy while you're in Israel; make sure you know what. Pack, unpack, repack until you know for sure everything's good. Make sure you know the drill for airports when you depart, switch planes, and arrive, and what is and isn't allowed in baggage and carry-ons. Make sure you have a ride from the airport to the ulpan. If you can, arrive a couple days early to orient yourself. Be sure you know at least a little of what to expect (hence the research and contacting the ulpan directors earlier).
The Day Before Departure: Make sure everything is packed and where you can find it. Get a good night's sleep.
Zero Hour: Again, make sure you have everything you need before you leave for the airport. This includes IDs, visas, passports, and luggage, as well as money. Keep emergency cash somewhere safe on your person, just in case. Say your farewells, if any, and set off on your great adventure!
Tip: When you get plane tickets for flights that involve switching planes, make sure you have at least a two-hour layover. Any less and you could lose your bags and/or get lost if you also need to change terminals. You'll also need the break. Take advantage of it.
If there are any questions about preparations, I will try to answer them as best as I can. I have done most of these preparations on my own, and have become seasoned at preparing, and I have been traveling overseas for many years.
Any further questions I have posted in the entry itself will have the answers posted in later entries once I find out more.
Also, if anyone wants me to post a quick learning guide to the Hebrew alphabet, please ask. I have enabled non-members to comment on my journals (I think), so you don't have to sign up just to ask. I think it may be extremely helpful to some, and my mother has some hints on pronunciation that can help as well.
Coming Up
-list of things needed, both basic and 'advanced'
-answers to questions from readers and from my own preparations that have not yet been answered
-Hebrew alphabet guide (?)
-reading list
-brief 'tour' of Israel as a whole, including a history lesson
One last thing, and I promise I'll end this too-long-to-be-a-proper-blog entry: If you find yourself unhappy or uncomfortable, but not in any physical danger (if you just dislike the whole thing), remind yourself that it's only five months. And it's an adventure. Treat it like one! :)
no subject
Date: 2011-02-10 02:42 pm (UTC)